Monday, July 31, 2017

I've done the Geneva Art Fair in Geneva, Illinois, in Chicagoland, held July 22-23, several times and returned again in 2017. This is a lovely show in a beautiful village along the Fox River, west of Chicago, that only allows original artworks to be exhibited and sold -- no reproductions permitted. This juried show is very high quality with many exhibitors coming from all over the country to participate. One lady near me came from Toronto, Canada. The steady crowd is sophisticated and interested in fine art.

The show is put on by the Chamber of Commerce and promoter, Erin Melloy, oversees the event. She does a great job! Everyone has a roomy booth space with a walkway on each side large enough to hang artwork on the outer walls.

I had painted some new small paintings that I display on mini easels on a pedestal in the booth that were
very popular with young and old alike. I also had the new "homeless shelter dog portraits" which were very popular as well with many people wanting their own pet's portrait painted.

The weather was wonderful all weekend until the very last hour on
Sunday. While it was hot (hey, it is, after all, July!) the rain that
threatened held off for most of the weekend. But at 4 p.m. Sunday, black storm clouds roiled in and let loose a deluge of rain. The rain came so hard and so fast, that I was quickly ankle deep in water in my booth. I ended up kicking off my nice sandals and just going barefoot. I'm surprised I didn't see any fish swimming around my feet!

The wind was so strong that part of the display for a landscaping company in the intersection blew over. Packing up "wet" means getting everything out on Monday to wash and dry. And I mean everything. I even unpacked tubs of gear to make sure everything was dried out. Luckily, the paintings came through unscathed.Thanks for tuning in.Happy Trails!Cheers,Charlene

Saturday, July 29, 2017

I am still at the Starve Hollow State Recreational Area demonstrating my plein air painting techniques on the beach. This is the second painting in my demo. The day warmed up quite nicely and more people came out to the beach. Campers in the park hiked and biked over.

I already did one painting, a 12" x 16" but there is still a bit of time left to do a second one.

So I got set up with a new, pre-tinted panel and decided to focus on a blue tent set up on the beach with some people lounging underneath. I first blocked in the dark green of the trees at the edge of the beach and water.

I also blocked in the dark figures under the canopy before painting in the blue tent and the cerulean sky.

Then I added the sandy beach and the water reflecting the blue of the sky. This beach goer stopped by to check the progress.

Her brother joined her to see the painting. I fine tuned the figures and the kids recognized themselves in the painting. After I was done painting, I packed up my painting gear and went for a swim. The water was absolutely perfect! I swam the length of the beach (in the deep end) and turned around and swam back. Probably a good half mile or so. I have a dive mask with my eyeglasses prescription which really helps.

This is the first of two painting demos at the Starve Hollow State Recreation Area on July 15, 2017 as part of the Arts in the Parks project grant I received from the Indiana Arts Commission in partnership with the Department of Natural Resources. I made the delightful drive south, down State Road 135, a windy, hilly, wooded route, that demanded a speed limit of 45 mph. From my house just west of Nashville about five miles, to the Starve Hollow SRA, the drive took about one hour.

I arrived at the park around 11:30 a.m. and scoped out the park and beach. I had been hiking in the park about twenty years ago and remember some beautiful vistas along the trails although the property manager informed me later that no vistas are being maintained along the trails at this time. However, Skyline Drive has some great vistas. I didn't remember the beach and was pleasantly surprised to see the huge, sweeping sandy beach maybe 1/4 mile long. The day started off cool, in the sixties, but warmed up nicely as the day progressed.

The beach was spacious to say the least and I loved the shade trees that bordered it. A large swim area was roped off and marked with buoys. At the deep end, the water was a about four feet deep, still shallow enough to touch the ground.

I commandeered a picnic table to stash my gear and set up my easel and pochade in a shady spot with a great view. I started blocking in the dark greens of the distant shoreline first.

Then I added the sky using the same colors reflected in the water as well.

A gentleman, his girlfriend, and her son were enjoying the beach with their two fur friends, a chihuahua and a pit bull puppy.

I mixed up a sand color using Cadmium Yellow and Cadmium Red and a touch of violet mixed from the blues and reds to block in the beach. I started adding in the people on the beach with quick gestural movements. I use palettes knives 99% of the time but used some brushes to capture the gestures of some the fast moving people.

A vacationing family who was camping in the park over the weekend, stopped to check out the painting. Most visitors were from Seymour, Columbus, and Indianapolis.

This young lady was delighted to see herself in the painting, digging in the sand.

Here's a picture of the painting and the beach when I finished it up. Because the beach is so big, it looks like there aren't that many people in attendance but that is a deceiving perception. There were lots of people coming and going! Here's the finished painting:

Friday, July 28, 2017

I wanted to paint the beach at Lake Lemon on the Fourth of July hoping it would be bustling with activity and it was!

I drove out to the lake along South Shore Drive, along the causeway, to get to Riddle Point Park where the beach is located on the west end of the lake. On the way, I spotted a Great Blue Heron, always a good sign! Herons represent "aggressive self determination" and "self reliance" with their ability to balance and wade on their long, thin legs.

I scoped out the beach area for a good vantage to paint from and set up my easel. You can see in the photos where boats, mostly pontoons and jet skis, pull into and park in the beach area. Lake Lemon limits the size of the motor so it is a pretty quiet, mellow lake.

I started with the dark green of the trees on the opposite shore.

Then blocked in the sky and water.At this point, my cell phone appeared to have a dead battery, despite being fully charged when I headed to the beach, because the screen was black. I couldn't see anything and couldn't take anymore pictures. When I got home, I did some research and discovered that the bright sunlight made the screen appear dark and that there is a daylight setting on the phone to brighten the screen under these conditions. So, in future endeavors I will know to brighten the screen to keep taking progress shots in sunny conditions.

So, no more progress shots but here is the finished painting:

"Fourth of July at the Lake Lemon Beach", plein air oil on panel, 12" x 16", Code #070417 12x16, by Charlene Marsh.

Monday, July 3, 2017

This painting was done "en plein air" ​at the fireworks display on Lake
Lemon, Indiana. I first drove to the park where the fireworks were being launched but when I realized they had closed the beach and everyone was setting up on a hillside with no water view, I decided to go back to the causeway so I could see the fireworks reflected inthe lake.

People were setting up not only at Riddle Point Park, but South Shore Drive, North Shore Drive, private piers and homes, and in boats on the lake.I set up on the causeway and started the painting at dusk before the
fireworks started.

I continued painting in the dark while they were going off. I
was literally painting blind! I had a small headlight I would turn on
occasionally to check the progress and mix colors.

When the show
ended, a roaring cheer and clapping went up all around the lake echoing off the hills and water. An awesome display of patriotism!

This painting was done "en plein air" during the fireworks display in my
hometown of Nashville, Indiana. They stage the show at the football
field of the local high school and I set up at the nearby fairgrounds with a
few thousand other people.

I started the painting at dusk before the
show started and continued into the dark using a small headlight
occasionally to illuminate the progress and mix colors.

You can see from this photo how dark it got! But what a spectacular opportunity to paint!

Being a tourist
town, they have a big budget for the fireworks and they went on for
nearly an hour with a huge, spectacular finale. The crowd roared and
cheered at the conclusion.